In Portland, Oregon, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office has solved a mystery that began 30 years ago by identifying human remains discovered in Watson.

In April 2021, tree planters working near Lake Merrill in Cougar, Washington, stumbled upon a human skull. They immediately informed the sheriff’s office, who found that the skull had two entrance and two exit bullet wounds.

A month later, with the help of a cadaver dog, searchers uncovered a femur in the vicinity. These bones were identified as belonging to Anthony Matthew Croy, who was born on December 4, 1973, and went missing from Portland in September 1995.

Confirmation of the bullet holes in the skull was provided by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. The sheriff’s office sent the skull and femur to Bode Technology for further analysis.

Bode determined that the skull and femur belonged to the same individual but did not find a DNA match in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Eventually, the remains were forwarded to Othram Inc., a specialized genome sequencing laboratory. Othram identified a potential relative of the deceased and discovered a previously missing family member.

Detective Jason Hammer from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office reached out to this family member and acquired a DNA sample from a private genealogy company. Othram analyzed this sample and confirmed its relation to the remains.

The death investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.